You Found Me
by MsRiley77
Summary: Traci & Rick You found me when no one else was looking.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Mighty Ducks…I wish I did. In this story "Traci" is "Mindy" from "D3" but she is based on an RPG character thus the reason for the name change (Name created by Victory Thru Tears). As you may have noticed Chapter One of this story is the same as Chapter One of "First Impressions." I decided to try to make a continuation of "First Impressions." So, if you like the idea of the story ending where "First Impressions" did, that's cool but if you're curious to see what happens after you can read this story and find out.

Traci Michaels tapped her foot against the floor to the rhythm of the NSYNC song stuck in her head. She glanced around the crowded room searching for a familiar face. She didn't understand why it was necessary to spend the last two days of summer vacation stuck inside an un-air conditioned auditorium being orientated about life as an Eden Hall student.

Traci suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned expecting to see one of the girls she meet at cheerleading tryouts but instead found herself staring into an amazing pair of brown eyes.

"This seat taken?" He asked gesturing to the seat next to her.

'Hmm, what's his deal?' She thought.

"No one's sitting in it." Traci answered.

He sat down next to her. "So what do you think of this place?"

"I think I could be spending my last days of freedom more productively." She responded.

"Are you trying to tell me learning about the conduct code of this fine establishment isn't thrilling you?" He asked.

"I think I enjoyed the dress code speech the most." She said.

He gave a once over to her tank top and mini skirt. "I see you paid attention."

She laughed. "Yeah, well I don't think they can kick me out before school even starts."

"Fair enough." He said. "Besides I have an in on the board. I'd put in a good word for you if necessary."

"You don't even know me." She said.

"Then we should remedy that." He told her.

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, you think we should?"

He nodded. "Yes, that's why I said it."

"And how would we do that?" she asked.

"Dinner, tonight. I'll pick you up at 6." He answered.

She was intrigued by the boy's confidence. "Alright." She replied. "6 is fine."

He nodded. "Great…you know I don't even know your name."

"Traci." She replied.

"I'm Rick, Rick Riley." He told her.

"Well, Rick Riley I'll see you tonight." She said.

"Looking forward to it." Rick said standing up and walking back to his group of friends.

The boys spoke for a few moments and high fived each other. Traci shook her head and turned her attention to whatever old man was about to bore her for the next hour. This was going to be an interesting year.


	2. Chapter 2

The doorbell rang but Traci had no intention of getting the door. After spending the entire day in that un-air conditioned hell hole she wasn't about to leave the comfort of her spot on the couch.

DING-DONG!

Traci growled. It was probably one of her sister's stupid friends.

DING-DONG!

Okay, this was becoming annoying.

"GWYN!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

No answer. She knew her brother, James, wasn't about to leave his room. What if a new computer game was created in the next ten seconds and he missed it! The horror. Her parents weren't home…at least she was pretty sure they weren't home…you could never tell.

DING-DONG!

Traci finally bit the bullet and got up. She swung the front door open.

"Hi Traci." Rick Riley said.

She blinked in confusion. "Can I help you?"

Rick laughed. "Actually yes."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "Okay…"

"I know I'm a little early but…"

Suddenly what had happened earlier in the day came flooding back to her.

"You mean you were serious about taking me out?" She asked.

Rick nodded. "I would never joke about something like that."

Traci quickly realized she was wearing old cut off shorts, a ratty tank top, and that her hair was up in some sort of ponytail/bun deal.

"Oh well…I'm not exactly in any sort of condition to go out." She told him.

"Are you sick?" He questioned.

She shook her head. "No."

"Under house arrest?" He asked.

She laughed. "Nope."

"Then what's the problem?" He asked her.

"Well, umm…look at me." She told him.

Rick gave her a once over. "All I see is a beautiful girl that I'm dying to get to know better."

Traci raised her eyebrows. "You're pretty quick with the lines."

"I never say anything I don't mean." He said.

"And I should trust this statement because?" She asked.

"Because I haven't given you a reason not to." He replied. "Do you?"

"Do I what?" She asked.

"Trust me." He said.

Traci chewed on her bottom lip…there was just something about him.

"Yes. I do." She said finally.

Rick smiled. "Good. Then go change and let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

Traci leaned forward and wrapped her hands around her ankles. It was the first day of cheerleading practice. She wasn't really nervous even though she was the only freshman on the squad. She was Traci Michaels after all, totally cool under pressure.

As she continued to stretch she let her mind wander back to Friday night. After a quick wardrobe change she and Rick went out to dinner. He really thought he was slick with his lines but Traci was used to cutting through bullshit (It was a skill she was good at herself) and she even was able to call him out…in a totally flirtatious ladylike manner of course. It ended up being a pretty fun evening. She hadn't seen Rick all day…not really shocking seeing as he was in all advanced classes and while she wasn't stupid by any means she didn't really excel in the classroom.

"GIRLS!" Coach shouted. "Let's get started!"

Traci snapped back to reality and joined the rest of the squad.

Traci glanced at her watch.

"Come on Mom." She mumbled as she kicked a pebble with her toe.

Traci's mother never picked her up for anything…that is what their driver was for…but her mother was so excited about Traci making Varsity cheer that she insisted on picking her up after the first practice and having a family dinner. Family dinner…what a joke. Traci could count on one hand the number of times they sat down to eat as a family.

At this rate Traci could have walked home faster. She reached into her bag to grab her cell phone and suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. Slightly startled Traci turned around nearly dropping her phone.

"Hi!" Rick said.

Traci smiled. "Hello, how are you?"

"Tired." He replied with that easy smile of his. "Had our first hockey practice today."

Traci was about to reply but she heard a car horn. She quickly looked over her shoulder…no luck.

"Waiting for someone?" He asked curiously.

"My ride…my mother." She replied.

"And she's a no show." He said.

"Story of my life." Traci mumbled.

"Pardon?" He asked.

Traci nodded. "Yeah, she's notoriously late."

"I thought you lived on campus." He said.

"I do, but I have to go home for a family dinner thing. Do you live on campus?" She asked not really wanting to talk about her home life.

"Yeah, over in Abbott." He replied.

"Oh cool, I live in Bowyer. We're neighbors." She said.

"That we are. Hey, if you need a ride home my dad is probably still around, he works here." Rick told her.

Traci was about to reply when she heard a familiar…

"TRACE!"

Traci waved to her parent's driver Randall. "Just a second!"

"That's your mom?" Rick said looking past Traci. "How'd you get so good looking?"

"I take after my father." She joked as she stood up. "Thanks for the offer but I guess it's not necessary. See you around."

"Wait…do you want to meet for breakfast tomorrow, neighbor?" He asked.

She smiled. "Sure, that would be nice."


	4. Chapter 4

"Traci!" Gwyn shrieked as Traci walked into her house.

"Hey sissy." She said givingthe younger versionof herself a hug.

Gwyn held onto her tightly. "I missed you."

"I've only been gone since Saturday silly." Traci replied removing her sister from her waist. "Where's Mom?"

Gwyn gestured towards the sitting room and Traci nodded.

"Go get ready for dinner…and get James too." Traci instructed.

As Gwyn ran up the staircase Traci ventured into the sitting room.

"Mom?" She asked.

Her mother was passed out on the couch. Traci rolled her eyes and shook her.

"Mom!" She said giving her a hard push.

"Jesus Traci Anne." Kirsten Michaels said as she blinked her eyes open.

"Thanks for the ride home." Traci told her.

"You got home didn't you?" Kirsten slurred.

"Yeah, an hour late than I was supposed to." Traci snapped. "I could have walked home faster."

"A little exercise wouldn't kill you honey." Kirsten said pinching Traci's waist.

Traci bit down on her lip so hard she almost drew blood. She paused before she said anything.

"Are you joining us for family dinner?" Traci asked.

No answer.

"Mom?" Traci questioned, but then she realized her mother was out like a light.

"Practice was fine. Oh and remember that boy that asked me out on Friday? Yeah, the one with the dark eyes…he asked me out again. I think he really likes me. Thanks for asking." Traci whispered as she walked out of the room slamming the door behind her.

Randall dropped her off back at the dorm and Traci unlocked the door to her room that she shared with her sophomore cheerleading team-mate Brooke Baker. She threw her jacket and purse randomly on the floor. Traci has been called a lot of things in her life but neat was never one of them. Her parents had to attend a "function" on move in day so Traci had to move most of her things in herself and she had been too lazy to actually unpack most of them. Oh well…it would get done.

"Have fun at home?" Brooke asked from her spot on her bed. Her eyes never moved from the television which was playing a re-run of "Newlyweds."

Traci laughed. "Thrilling."

"I figured as much. God, does Jessica really thinks that looks good on her?" Brooke asked.

Traci looked at the television. "You think with all that money she could afford a decent outfit."

"I know right. Oh well, at least you don't actually have to live there anymore." Brooke said.

Brooke had quite a knack for jumping topics.

"This is true." Traci said.

Traci changed into her pjs and washed up as the girls continued to chat and make fun of Jessica Simpson's clothes.

"Well, I'm beat and I have a breakfast date so I bid you good night." Traci said crawling under the covers and into bed.

"A breakfast date…sexy. Night Trace." Brooke said turning off the light.

"Night Brooke." She replied.

Traci really hated the quiet…that's probably why she talked so much. When it was too quiet she started thinking way too deeply about things…like how she knew for a fact her mother was probably passed out when James and Gwyn came home from school everyday and how her father practically lived at St. Paul Memorial, where he worked. But tonight she forced herself to think about her breakfast date.

Whatever was she going to wear?


	5. Chapter 5

"Morning beautiful." Rick said as Traci walked into the cafeteria.

Traci rubbed the last bit of sleep out of her eyes as she sat down across from him.

"I do have a name you know." She replied.

"I like beautiful better, it suits you." He said.

"Oh well, in that case…by all means." She told him with a laugh.

"Thank you. Now let's go get some food beautiful." He said standing up.

Traci followed him and put what Eden Hall considered food on her tray.

"How was your trip home last night?" He asked her as they sat back down.

"It made me very grateful to be living here." She told him.

"That good, eh?" He said with a laugh. "Are you an only?"

She shook her head as she peeled back the top of her yogurt container. "I'm the oldest. You?"

"I'm the oldest too. My brothers and sister are the bane of my very existence." He said.

"My brother is really quiet so I barely notice him. My sister and I get along though. She'll be a teenager soon enough though and they'll be no living with her." Traci said. "Well if she's anything like I was."

"You weren't a perfect angel?" He asked in between bites.

Traci smiled sweetly. "Of course I was."

Rick laughed. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"

"I'm going to venture a guess and say it's because you're intelligent." Traci said.

"So what do your folks do?" He asked her.

Traci choked slightly on her cereal…parents, her least favorite topic.

Rick noticed. "You alright?"

Traci swallowed hard. "Yeah, went down the wrong pipe or something. Um, my Dad is a doctor at St. Paul Memorial and my Mom…well…"

"Is a socialite?" He guessed.

"Something like that." Traci said. "What about yours?"

"My Dad's a bigwig on the Alumni Board. To be perfectly honest I'm not exactly sure what he does. My Mom sounds like yours…DAR and charities and such." He said.

Traci nodded. "Exactly. I don't get why though, she could be a lot more if she wanted. It's like she settled."

"Something you have no intention of doing I suppose?" He asked.

"I know what I want and I know how to get it." She said confidently.

"My kind of girl." He said with a smile.

Traci was pretty much on Cloud Nine the rest of the day. Even her surprise quiz in Algebra didn't get her down.

"Someone's in a good mood." Brooke said walking into the dorm room.

Traci paused from painting her toenails and singing along with Britney Spears on the radio and let out a laugh.

"Yes, yes I am." She said.

"Does this have anything to do with your breakfast date?" She asked.

"This has everything to do with that." Traci replied.

"Well, details then." Brooke said sitting down on the bed.

Traci launched into an overview of everything from last Friday's meeting to that morning at breakfast.

"And then he asked me out for Friday night." Traci finished.

"Wow, that's awesome Trace." Brooke said.

"I think so too. Gah! I'm so lame." Traci said covering her face with her hand.

"Traci's in looove!" Brooke said with a laugh.

"Oh be quiet!" Traci said with a blush as she hit Brooke with her throw pillow.


End file.
